speaking of being a nature geek...

I know I should cut down that giant weed (daisy fleabane, pictured at right). It looks ridiculous—it's about 6 feet tall at the front of a flowerbed (with 2-foot things behind it), and worse, it's gone to seed and is cheerfully scattering itself everywhere.

I can't help it. Not only do I think the flowers are pretty, in a friendly and unassuming sort of way, but there is this amazing mass of insect activity all over it (that's what's supposed to happen when you have native plants in the garden—they interact with native insects).

There are spiderwebs all over, of course, just for starters. Then there are little teeny bee-like things that are everywhere on the flowers. I think they might be hoverflies (left), but I don't know. (Check out this page that is supposed to help you identify bees & bee-like insects in your garden: "What's buzzin' in my garden?," obviously created by a fellow nature geek as it includes pleas like "please protect these gentle, giant pollintors!" hee hee).

I definitely saw a species of tachynid fly (right), which is in my bug book under "beneficials" (it parasitizes garden-munchers like caterpillars); I've never seen one before. (You can read all about beneficial garden insects here).

There are all kinds of other critters, too, and even when I can see they're feeding on the plant, I am too intrigued to kill them—they are each so intricate and funny (like this guy (left)—looks just like a leaf, and so pretty and shiny, too). Besides, the plant's a weed, so what do I care if they eat it?

Anyway, the thing that was interesting enough to post about (at least to me; you don't have to read it—that's what I love about blogging!) was the gradual progress over the last two days of two ladybugs and one ladybug larva demolishing a large colony of aphids on the daisy fleabane. Slurp, slurp, yum.

	Above: like mother like daughter: ladybug larva and aphid prey

When I first saw all the aphids, I almost sprayed them (with ecologically correct soap spray, of course), but then I saw all the aphid carcasses on other stalks and the ladybugs closing in, so I left them alone.

I'm glad I did because this has been fascinating to watch... and so natural somehow. It feels good to let the ecosystem function unhindered.

If you want to play around with identifying your own backyard fauna, check out this page: Crawly Things (actually four linked pages of photos!)

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Of course, all this (the fact that all the plants fascinate me and I like to just watch what happens with the insects etc.) would also explain why the yard is utterly overrun with weeds, except right in the flower beds where I've made more of an effort (and have an easier time convincing myself of the necessity of weed destruction for the greater good).

You have to get the weeds early in the year and then the rest of the summer isn't so bad. But when you let them go for a month, whoa, it's completely out of control.

I've tried boiling water, I've tried pulling, but I can't keep up. The temptation to just spray 'em with Roundup(tm) is growing (why Roundup is evil - why its manufacturer Monsanto is evil). As is the fear that if I don't do something soon, Loopy will break out the anti-organic arsenal the moment my plane (to California) leaves the tarmac (next Thursday), and I'll return to a lifeless garden bereft not only of aphids but also of ladybugs, spiders, earthworms, and everything else that makes life worth living, or, in fact, makes life continue at all.

A perfectly controlled garden is dead: it's a perfect a manifestation of imperialism, patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy, dammit!!!

Hey, it may not be crystal-clear logic, but at least it's a good excuse for not weeding.

*sigh*